The cultivators hastily brought the banquet to an end, their hearts tangled with conflicting thoughts.
To be honest, when they saw just how many potential companions they had, most of them let out a long breath of relief.
Though they had decided to side with the Alliance, if possible, they would naturally rather have it both ways.
Just as had been said before.
They belonged to whichever sect they were in—what was wrong with keeping their affiliation flexible?
And if Ye Xiu stayed out of sight for too long, with a treasure basin like the Alliance sitting here in plain view, there would naturally be people eyeing it greedily.
Once crooked thoughts arose in their minds, people who acted on them would naturally emerge.
Such ambitious people would never consider what the Alliance's prosperity had been built upon, nor whether they could maintain its original state after forcibly seizing it.
They were simply accustomed to solving problems with force and spared no further thought beyond that.
Yet among the sects of the entire world, such fools truly made up the majority.
In the past, the vast disparity in strength and the scarcity of resources had all but completely sealed off the paths of advancement.
Though many actions would invite future trouble, the peculiarities of that era had allowed those troubles to be forcibly suppressed.
But the cultivators present all knew clearly that the times had changed.
A person needed not only sufficient strength, but also a mind worthy of that strength.
Only by using both hands and mind could one continue to stand above others.
And generally speaking, clever people whose hands and minds could both keep up would see their ambitions swell along with their horizons and knowledge.
Especially in the present age, to any cultivator with a discerning