Chen Lin would never normally have agreed to trade two hundred Brilliant Crystal Stones for a Vacant Elder position.
But under the present circumstances, it was worth it.
That status would spare him a great deal of trouble. At the very least, he would no longer face forced conscription.
Chen Lin inwardly acknowledged how formidable Jin Ruhua was.
She could see straight into people's hearts.
No other offer would have tempted him. Unless she forcibly seized them, he would not have handed over even a single stone.
As for whether the Alliance won or lost, he did not care in the slightest.
True, no egg survived when the nest was overturned, but given the way Wan Zhencang and the others behaved, they would never feel grateful even if he donated the stones.
They might even start coveting what else he had.
He had never received any kindness from the Alliance. On the contrary, he had rendered it a service by bringing back a high-tier Nihility Fish.
And what had come of that?
They had still forcibly sent him into the Nightmare Realm to die.
Had he not possessed a few tricks of his own, he would have vanished from this world entirely, just like Li Xiangru and the others.
Thus, he had little affection for the Alliance.
Moreover, Chen Lin was certain of one thing.
If he died, Wan Zhencang and the others would never spare his family or subordinates.
They would inevitably uproot the grass to eradicate its roots.
How could he possibly sacrifice himself for people like that?
Jin Ruhua looked at Chen Lin.
"I know you harbor deep resentment toward the Alliance now," she said softly, "but the Alliance isn't a single individual. Wan Zhencang and the others don't represent every cultivator."
"Most are still people who