Withdrawal

People have a herd mentality. After some people started joining the Heavenly Blood Alliance, more and more people made the same choice.

Even beside Yi Yun, Yu Chi Wei's expression kept changing; he was hesitating and making a decision.

However, in the end, he shook his head, sighed, and said, "Perhaps... I should leave the Heavenly Dao Alliance..."

"Oh?"

Yi Yun was slightly taken aback. "Why? Aren't you tempted by those opportunities?"

"My heart is tempted." Yu Chi Wei glanced reluctantly at the Heavenly Dao Alliance's treasure vault, but still shook his head. "What doesn't belong to me will never belong to me. I'm wondering... if I sign Soul Contract and join the Heavenly Blood Alliance, will I really be able to obtain the <Great Dao Samsara Technique>...?"

Yu Chi Wei looked bewildered as he gazed at the excited and enthusiastic crowd, feeling as if it were all a dream.

Faced with immense temptation, many people will be blinded.

Yu Chi Wei didn't think there was anything wrong with the Martial Arts Alliance itself, but he still felt that he shouldn't have joined the Heavenly Blood Alliance.

This is just intuition.

"For this Black Stone Trial, everyone who joins the Heavenly Blood Alliance will receive an Ancient Secret Technique that can temporarily boost your strength to ensure mission completion. This technique is considered quite precious even within the Martial Arts Alliance. You will only receive the first volume, but it is still incredibly valuable."

"Although the secret technique is remarkably effective, it will not cause any harm to the body. You will notice this as you practice, so consider this a reward for you!"

The Masked Man spoke beside Young Master Feng Ming.

His words caused quite a stir.

It's Ancient Secret Technique, and a very precious one at that; of course they want to learn it.

"So good?"

Those Heavenly Blood Alliance members were all wide-eyed in disbelief; this treatment was excessively generous. Normally, exchanging Ancient Inheritance required a large amount of Blood Jade.

"What exactly is this mission? With such a generous reward, there must be considerable danger involved!"

Some were worried, but others scoffed at their concerns, saying, "The reward is proportional to the risk. No risk and huge benefits? Where in the world is there such a good thing? Many secret realms are completely unknown; a group going in could easily lose most of its inhabitants. Yet, even in such realms, many martial artists recklessly rush in, just to gamble on a chance. We're only participating in the Black Stone Trial, and you're already so hesitant? You might as well not cultivate martial arts at all."

The man spoke coldly and sarcasticly, and the person who had spoken earlier could not refute him.

Compared to those secret realms, the Black Stone Trial is indeed much safer. So many prodigies come from almost all the major forces in the Tianyuan Realm. If they all perish in a single trial, how will the Martial Arts Alliance explain itself to the entire Tianyuan Realm? Moreover, it would not benefit them at all.

With this in mind, more and more people became determined to join the Heavenly Blood Alliance.

However, a very small number of people still chose not to join.

Yi Yun glanced at the group; including him, there were only seven people in total.

These people either preferred a free and unrestrained life, had their own principles, or had doubts about the Martial Arts Alliance's motives, which led them to make this choice.

"Not joining?"

Young Master Feng Ming looked at these people and sighed softly, seemingly feeling sorry for them.

"I'm sorry, I'm not joining, and... I want to leave the Heavenly Dao Alliance."

Just then, Yu Chi Wei spoke up. He still had shocking wounds on his body, and his words carried a rather pitiful tone.

Over the past year, ordinary members of the Heavenly Dao Alliance have noticed that the gap between their treatment and that of the Heavenly Blood Alliance has widened, and they have become increasingly ostracized by the Heavenly Blood Alliance.

The Martial Arts Alliance leadership turned a blind eye to this and tacitly allowed the conflict to escalate.

Although these people still had a chance to obtain some valuable resources within the Heavenly Dao Alliance, they no longer wanted to persist.

I'm quitting.

"I'm quitting too."

The remaining people spoke up one after another.

At this point, withdrawing from the Heavenly Dao Alliance seems to have become the only option.

You either stay with the Heavenly Blood Alliance or you leave; there is no third option.

Quit?

Yi Yun remained silent. He noticed a chill suddenly swept across the platform ahead as these people tried to leave...

Yi Yun had a sudden thought, then shook his head and said, "Fine, I'll withdraw too!"

All seven people have withdrawn from the Heavenly Dao Alliance!

The Masked Man on the platform watched all of this silently.

"Have you thought it through?"

Feng Ming asked, his disappointment seemingly deepening.

No one spoke, including Yi Yun.

"It's a real shame..." Feng Ming shook his head. "To be honest, this Black Stone Trial is indeed quite dangerous. If you're not careful, you might perish. I understand why you're not joining..."

"Everyone has their own ambitions, and I will not force you to stay. However... with the great calamity facing humanity, the Martial Arts Alliance established the Heavenly Dao Alliance with the intention of preparing for this calamity."

"My fellow disciples joined the Martial Arts Alliance, using its resources to cultivate its Martial Arts Alliance, and they certainly benefited. We've been training for a thousand days to use it for one, but I never expected that at this point, you would want to withdraw..."

As Feng Ming spoke these words slowly and deliberately, the members of the Heavenly Blood Alliance all looked at Yi Yun and his group with disdain.

Many people are talking about it privately.

"These people are such ingrates!" someone said disdainfully.

"Ingracious ingrates! They enjoyed the resources prepared for ambitious people of the human race, yet they themselves are cowardly and unwilling to contribute!"

"I am ashamed to associate with them."

As people talked, Gongsun Hong looked at Yi Yun with a cold smile in the crowd, and without any attempt to hide it, he stretched out his hand and gave Yi Yun a thumbs-down gesture.

This was an extremely provocative and contemptuous gesture. To make such a gesture in front of everyone was only because Gongsun Hong had been beaten too badly by Yi Yun before, losing face in one blow. He knew he was no match for Yi Yun and had no hope of revenge in the short term, so he took this opportunity to vent his anger in this way.

"Jiang Yi Dao, so what if you have some talent in martial arts? You're a coward, short-sighted. Your previous defeat was just a minor setback on my path of martial arts. In less than a year, you'll be left behind. I'll step on you to continue climbing my path of martial arts. To me, you're nothing more than a stepping stone that I'll surpass sooner or later. Your existence is only for my growth."

Gongsun Hong wore a cold smile. He did not hide his voice; he was using the declaration of his determination to surpass Yi Yun to wash away his shame.

If Yi Yun were to join the Heavenly Blood Alliance, people would think that Gongsun Hong was delusional.

But now... Yi Yun has quit.

People, however, believe that what Gongsun Hong said is very likely to come true, and that someone as timid and hesitant as Jiang Yi Dao is indeed not suitable for martial arts.

Yi Yun merely smiled at Gongsun Hong's provocation without replying. He glanced at the Martial Arts Alliance leaders on the platform, his right hand gently pressing down on the Ancient Dust Saber...

...(To be continued~^~)