"Xuanji, I know you've always been prudent and steady."
"I admit there's some sense in what you just said."
"And I believe you're thinking of the Azure Cloud Heaven Sect's safety and stability."
"But—"
Azure Heaven Ancestor spoke slowly. At that word, the expressions of Ancestor Qingxuan and Dao Sage Xuanji changed. Both had a bad feeling.
Sure enough—
Azure Heaven Ancestor abruptly changed tack.
"But what Cang Xing and the others said was also true."
"Times change."
"Many things in this world don't stay the same forever."
"The Southern Border Alliance has emerged and excluded Bright Moon Spirit Tide Valley. That shows the valley's position in the Southern Border is no longer what we thought it was."
"Bright Moon Spirit Tide Valley may still be a dead camel bigger than a horse, but dead is dead... We didn't fear it in its prime. In fact, our Azure Cloud Heaven Sect was firmly stronger. Why would we fear it now that it's in decline?"
"Bright Moon Spirit Tide Valley's prestige in the Southern Border will become a thing of the past, while our sect's future is about to unfold. What do we have to fear?"
"Whether Jin Shiyue is using us or has some other scheme... it doesn't matter."
"What matters is that their arrival and request for an alliance have given us the opportunity and pretext to reorganize the Eastern Domain and establish the Eastern Domain Alliance. That alone is enough."
"Faced with such clear benefits, what does the paltry risk posed by Bright Moon Spirit Tide Valley amount to?"
"If Bright Moon Spirit Tide Valley objects, let them come to us!"
"I'll say it again: we didn't fear Bright Moon Spirit Tide Valley at its peak. Why would we fear it in decline?"
At those words, the Forbidden