A Wager for Peace

The others, as if waking from a dream, echoed, "We swear to defend the Western Martial World to the death, not yielding an inch of its land!"

"Unite all forces and slaughter Buddhist School lackeys!"

"Down with the Buddhist School invaders! Long live the Western Martial World!"

Wuguo was completely bewildered. He hadn't even said a word yet, so how could Glazed Temple be invading the Western Martial World? Although the abbot seemed to have mentioned sending monks to the Western Martial World to spread Buddhism last month, had the news leaked out?

The members of the Six Great Aristocratic Families were also completely bewildered. When did they Buddhist School? They hadn't even said a word, yet judging from the situation, it seemed they had become public enemies of the martial arts world?

Si Ming sneered inwardly. Otherwise, since there was no racism or patriotism in this world, he would definitely have delivered a three-part tirade of "traitor, lackey, and sellout."

"I have never heard of a sect called Ming Cult in the Western Martial World. I'm afraid even the Alliance Leader may not be from the Western Martial World."

Shen Wumian suddenly spoke, using the same tactics against him. His companions, realizing what was happening, echoed his words.

"That's right. I've never heard of the Ming Cult before. You could say it's an unknown sect, but it has a vast collection of martial arts manuals. A sect like that couldn't have remained unknown forever."

"Alliance Leader Sima's origins are shrouded in mystery; his background is completely untraceable. It's as if he appeared out of thin air half a year ago. Let alone the Western Martial World, he might not even be from our Barbarian Continent."

Realizing his secrets had been inadvertently exposed, Si Ming quickly laughed and changed the subject, "The Ming Cult Shen Clan is ignorant and hasn't heard of it. 'Burn my mortal body, blazing holy fire, He Huan there in life, what sorrow in death? For the sake of good and the elimination of evil, only for the sake of light. Joy and sorrow, all return to dust. Pity the people of this world, for they have so many worries.' This is the teaching of our sect."

Zhao Jiaren and Zhao Xiaohui spread their fingers and raised them to their chests, mimicking flames, and chanted. "Burn my broken body, blazing holy fire, He Huan there in life, what sorrow in death? To do good and eliminate evil, only for the sake of light. Joy and sorrow, all return to dust. Pity the people of this world, for they have so many worries! Pity the people of this world, for they have so many worries!"

Wuguo murmured, "They don't care about their own death, but pity the suffering of the world. The teachings of the Ming Cult sound similar to the compassionate vows of our Buddhist School. No wonder the Heavenly Martial Alliance has such a grand presence and has gathered so many people's hearts."

"It's just a slogan to fool people. The Heavenly Martial Alliance gains the support of many sects not through compassion, but through self-interest."

They were almost labeled as lackeys of Buddhist School and became enemies of the martial arts world. Shen Wumian knew that there was no possibility of a proper conversation between the two sides, so he stopped being polite. "The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain. Whether it was the annihilation of the Jin Lineage or the decline of the Mount Kun Sect, it was all driven by the Heavenly Martial Alliance for profit. But those who associate based on profit will disperse when the profit is gone, and those who associate based on power will collapse when the power is gone. The Heavenly Martial Alliance may be able to prosper for a time by doing this, but once it shows signs of decline, its downfall will be in no time."

That hits the nail on the head!

Even Kou Feng and the others couldn't help but secretly agree with Shen Wumian's remarks. The reason they surrendered to the alliance leader was simply for the sake of profit.

"Hahaha, I thought a peerless master like the Snowflake Divine Sword would have some extraordinary and amazing words, but I didn't expect his vision to be so superficial. It's true that seeing him is not as good as hearing about him." Si Ming laughed loudly, mocking him.

"Oh, what brilliant idea does the Alliance Leader have?" Shen Wumian remained unmoved, calm and composed, confident in his response.

Si Ming made a gesture of adjusting his glasses. "The reason why the Heavenly Martial Alliance has gained the favor of fellow martial artists and has swept through the martial arts world in just half a year is because it has three representatives standing behind it."

Chapter 350 A Peaceful Gamble

"The Heavenly Martial Alliance always represented the development requirements of advanced martial arts in the Barbarian Continent, the direction of advanced martial arts Heavenly Martial Alliance in the Barbarian Continent, and the fundamental interests of the Barbarian Continent vast majority of martial artists in the Barbarian Continent. These three representations are the foundation of our Heavenly Martial Alliance, the basis of its existence, and the source of its strength. To summarize it with a mere word like 'profit' is extremely superficial!"

This wasn't just Si Ming joking; he genuinely believed it. The Heavenly Martial Alliance's system was far superior to those self-righteous feudal remnants. Even setting aside communism, the Heavenly Martial Alliance had at least reached the level of capitalism and possessed the rudiments of martial arts industrialization, while these aristocratic Aristocratic Clan were still playing the outdated feudal game of self-imposed confinement.

Si Ming was confident that the Heavenly Martial Alliance could sweep the aristocratic Aristocratic Clan into the dustbin of history. This confidence did not stem from the powerful martial arts of any one person, but from the superiority of industrial organizations over agricultural organizations. In terms of productivity, the Heavenly Martial Alliance's martial arts productivity had already surpassed that of the Aristocratic Family Alliance by more than ten times.

"Patriarch Shen Clan, you should focus on honing your swordsmanship. Politically, you're just a third-rate politician with only a superficial understanding; stop spouting your shallow opinions, or you'll only make a fool of yourself!"

A hint of anger arose in Shen Wumian's heart, but it was quickly dispelled by his swordsmanship. When he first heard Si Ming's words, he thought it was just grand boasting and pretentious empty talk. But upon closer examination, he found some truth in them, and even felt a sense of fear at the prospect of seeing the truth.

Sometimes, not knowing the truth can bring peace of mind and embolden one to resist; once the truth is known, only despair remains.

Seeing Shen Wumian remain silent, the Zhou Clan representative who was accompanying him couldn't help but step forward and say, "In the end, isn't it all about using interests to win people's hearts?"

Si Ming laughed, "Ha, I must apologize to Patriarch Shen Clan. I really underestimated you earlier. It seems your political acumen is quite high within your team. Patriarch Shen Clan, though only half-baked, is still an expert and can see some of the tricks of the trade. This Zhou Clan, on the other hand, is just a complete novice pretending to know everything and can only join in the fun."

The Zhou Clan representative, lacking Shen Wumian's cultivation and temperament, was easily provoked by the mocking Fist Intent, his brows furrowing in anger. "Young Master Sima, are you insulting me?"

"It is not you personally who are insulted, but your intelligence. The Heavenly Martial Alliance does not unite people's hearts with interests, but rather the Heavenly Martial Alliance itself represents the interests of the masses, just like the fields under the farmer's feet or the tools in the craftsman's hands. If you and I see this not as a struggle between martial arts practitioners, but as a struggle for the world, then the Heavenly Martial Alliance is the will of the people and the support of all. You are nothing but clowns who defy the will of heaven and the hearts of the people, intending to harm the interests of the world for the benefit of one family and one clan!"

"Young Master Sima, from beginning to end you've been spouting nonsense, trying to raise the banner of righteousness and accuse us of unfounded crimes. Is this the attitude of the Heavenly Martial Alliance? What talk of popular support? Alliance Leader Sima is frivolous, all bluster and no manners. He doesn't look like a ruler at all. What right does he have to represent all the martial artists in the world?"

"Ha, this is the difference in our levels of thinking. You're still judging others with your narrow-minded, family-centric mentality, assuming everyone else is like you, wanting to take from you when you have more than enough. I never intended to be a ruler, so why should I put on airs? The people elected me as their leader not because of my noble bloodline or elegant demeanor, but because I can protect their interests!"

Si Ming did not get up and remained seated, but his mere gaze at the Zhou Clan representative made the latter feel as if he were facing a formidable enemy, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

"You ask me what qualifications I have to represent all the martial artists in the world? You're wrong. It's not that I want to represent everyone, but that everyone elects me as their representative. This is the ancient practice of abdication, where the wise become the ruler!"

Kou Feng immediately replied, "That's right, we are not being coerced or threatened, but are willingly serving you as our lord!"

The crowd echoed in unison, "That's right, we are willing to serve you as our lord!"

When they first spoke, it was merely an instinctive reaction to follow the chants. But as soon as the words left their mouths, they immediately wondered: besides the leader, would anyone else be willing to publicly reveal their martial arts techniques and share them with others?

If these Aristocratic Clan were to become the leader of the alliance, they would probably want to keep all the martial arts manuals for themselves. Others would only be qualified to learn the lowest level of martial arts if they sold themselves into slavery and spent their entire lives for them.

So they shouted once more, "We are willing to serve you as our lord!"

This time, it was a heartfelt cry, a genuine expression of emotion, so the voices were not only clear and resonant, but also carried an unwavering and indomitable spirit.

The Zhou Clan patriarch was the first to be hit, and was struck by the Martial Dao Will the crowd. His face turned pale, his body swayed, and he staggered back two steps, almost falling to the ground. Fortunately, he was caught by Wuguo.

"Namo Glazed Medicine Buddha, since Alliance Leader Sima has the heart to embrace the martial world and help martial artists, why does he single out aristocratic Aristocratic Clan and want to exterminate them?"

Wuguo option, he stepped forward. At this moment, only he, being from a non- Aristocratic Clan family, could speak without being pressured by the Martial Dao Will the crowd.

The old monk was highly renowned in the martial arts world. This reputation did not stem from his martial arts skills, but from his medical skills. It was said that his Glazed Divine Needle could neutralize the internal energy of all martial arts in the world. He could save everyone except the dead. It was said that as long as the other person had a breath left, he could keep their life hanging by a thread.

Moreover, his medical ethics far surpassed his medical skills. He was almost Wuguo present wherever disease struck, and could often be seen treating the sick in various plague-stricken areas. As a result, he suffered three serious illnesses, which damaged his Foundation and reduced him to a second-rate figure in the martial arts world. However, this also made him famous, earning him the title of a living Buddha and making him a living advertisement for Glazed Temple.

"Master Wuguo seems to have misunderstood something. I never said I wanted to exterminate the Aristocratic Clan. In fact, we do have quite a few Aristocratic Clan scions in our Heavenly Martial Alliance. However, according to reports, many Aristocratic Clan are threatening those scions with their relatives to force them to leave the Heavenly Martial Alliance and sever all ties. It's not the Heavenly Martial Alliance that truly wants to exterminate them, but Aristocratic Clan Heavenly Martial Alliance. Master, instead of helping the victims dissuade the perpetrators, you're helping the perpetrators persuade the victims to surrender. Is this the compassion of Buddhist School?"

The number of the Aristocratic Clan in the Western Martial World is nearly 300,000, but the true core members are only about 100,000. The remaining 200,000 can hardly be called loyal, and they are even the ones being exploited. They are the ones who can be won over to set things right.

Wuguo, he hastily apologized and said, "This humble monk had no such intention. I merely wished to find a peaceful way for both sides to coexist, so as to avoid the endless cycle of revenge. If both sides can take a step back, we can turn hostility into friendship. Now that the Six Great Aristocratic Families have come with sincerity, since the Alliance Leader has such a broad mind, why not try to show some goodwill? Why close the door to peace from the very beginning?"