The Importance of Balance, the Emperor Alliance's True Strength!

Emperor Alliance?!

Upon hearing those two words,

the saint elders seated on both sides of the hall, their faces aged and haughty, all revealed looks of astonishment and shock.

"Emperor Alliance..."

Shi Zhentian repeated the name of the organization in a grave tone.

Emperor Alliance.

Those two words

gave him the immediate impression that it was connected to their Ancient Emperor Clans.

Although the Stone Clan had kept a low profile and remained secluded for years,

they still maintained covert contact

with the other Emperor Clans.

When had such an organization been established among the Emperor Clans?

And he had not detected it beforehand at all.

What confused Shi Zhentian even more was,

if this was an alliance among the Emperor Clans, why had the Pill Tower Ancestor come instead of someone from an Emperor Clan?!

At that thought,

Shi Zhentian furrowed his brows, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest.

As the tapping echoed through the great hall,

the Stone Clan elders on either side, who had previously been shocked, bewildered, and hesitant, fell silent at once.

Everyone fixed their gaze on Shi Zhentian.

"Emperor Alliance... an alliance founded upon the word 'Emperor'!"

"My Stone Clan has lived in seclusion for ten thousand years, but we maintain covert lines of contact with the Gu Clan, Yao Clan, Yan Clan, and the Leizu Clan. I know every movement of those clans."

"Yet I have never heard of this Emperor Alliance, nor have I received any message from any Emperor Clan regarding it."

Shi Zhentian spoke in a low voice, staring at the Pill Tower Ancestor with a blade-like gaze.

"Dan Xuan, which Emperor Clan do you represent? And which clan took the lead in founding this Emperor Alliance?!"

At those words,

Mu Tong's expression stiffened slightly.

He had long known that this matter would not be so simple.

Though the Stone Clan ranked near the bottom among the Emperor Clans, it was still one of the Ancient Eight Clans. A starving camel was still bigger than a horse; they could not be persuaded to join the Emperor Alliance with just a few words.

Seeing that Qing Luo still had no intention of speaking,

Mu Tong gave an awkward smile and shamelessly said,

"Clan Chief Shi truly sees far ahead and commands the situation from afar!"

"Although the Emperor Alliance bears the word 'Emperor,' it was not founded by another Emperor Clan. Rather, it was personally established by the one behind this old man..."

"the third-ranked Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. And the 'Emperor' in its name does not refer to the Emperor Clans, but to Attaining Emperorhood!"

As Mu Tong's voice fell,

for a moment,

all the saint elders in the hall widened their eyes in unison.

"Attaining Emperorhood?!"

Shi Zhentian's voice abruptly rose, and the gravity on his face was replaced by contempt and a cold chuckle.

"A Six-Star Dou Saint and a Heavenly Flame dare speak of Attaining Emperorhood?!"

"Heh, it seems my clan has remained silent for far too long. Now every stray cat and dog dares to come here and behave outrageously!"

"The Tou She Ancient God vanished ten thousand years ago. Even the Emperor Clans dare not claim they have found the path to Attaining Emperorhood, yet you have quite the courage!"

For a moment,

mocking and derisive laughter echoed throughout the hall.

They truly had not expected it.

The eight Emperor Clans possessed ancient Dou God bloodlines, yet after searching for ten thousand years, they had failed to find a method to Attain Emperorhood.

And now,

a pill and a Heavenly Flame dared to come to the Stone Clan and brazenly speak of Attaining Emperorhood, even demanding that they join some Emperor Alliance?!

Shi Zhentian waved his hand.

"You two, please leave!"

Mu Tong wanted to say something, but Qing Luo stopped him directly.

"Dan Xuan, what did I tell you before we came here?"

Mu Tong: ???

The Pill Tower Ancestor looked blankly at Qing Luo.

Wasn't it...

you who had instructed me to say all that just now?

"Kind words cannot persuade one determined to die. You have said everything that needed to be said. If the Stone Clan is erased and exterminated, they will have only themselves to blame. It will not be your fault!"

Before Mu Tong could speak,

Qing Luo patted Mu Tong on the shoulder and prepared to turn and leave with him.

Buzz—

Before Qing Luo could leave,

a terrifying Six-Star Dou Saint pressure came crushing down from behind.

Unlike the gentle heat of the Pill Tower Ancestor, Mu Tong, and Dan Xuan, this pressure was as heavy and tyrannical as a mountain range, carrying the profound foundation of an Emperor Clan.

Sensing that terrifying pressure,

Mu Tong's expression changed drastically as he looked at Qing Luo with regret.

He regretted it more than ever now.

He should not have listened to Qing Luo, much less come here with him.

What Qing Luo had just said

would have provoked public outrage even in the Pill Tower, let alone the Stone Clan.

However,

when Mu Tong looked at Qing Luo's profile, he found not the slightest trace of worry on Qing Luo's face.

On the contrary, Qing Luo looked utterly relaxed.

There was even a teasing look of satisfaction, as though this outcome was exactly what Qing Luo had wanted—or something he had anticipated all along?!

"Stop!"

As Mu Tong pondered what Qing Luo was plotting,

behind them,

Shi Zhentian's furious voice reverberated through the great hall.

"Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, who gave you the confidence to speak so wildly in my clan? Do you truly think I cannot refine you?"

"Heh."

Qing Luo gave a frivolous smile, turned to Shi Zhentian, and said,

"Is that so? I'll be waiting for you to refine me!"

Boom—

In an instant,

saintly pressure surged one after another throughout the entire hall.

Though the Stone Clan's Dou Saints were old, the Stone Clan specialized in cultivating the physical body. Their blood and vitality remained vast, and layers of saintly pressure intertwined and descended.

Under that terrifying pressure,

Dan Xuan had no choice but to release his own Six-Rank Dou Saint pressure to withstand the Stone Clan Dou Saints present...

"Shi Zhentian, you do not think we came here today to beg you to join the Emperor Alliance, do you?"

Just as those Dou Saints were about to act,

Qing Luo stood with his hands behind his back, speaking indifferently with utter confidence.

"What do you mean?"

Shi Zhentian suppressed the enraged elders at both sides of the hall, who were on the verge of attacking, and fixed his blade-like gaze firmly on Qing Luo.

The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame was far too calm in the face of the Stone Clan's pressure.

It was far too abnormal!

And abnormality often meant change.

Shi Zhentian did not believe

that the notorious Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame would be such a fool as to walk into a trap!

"What I mean is that allowing the Stone Clan to join the Emperor Alliance is me showing your Stone Clan respect. If you attack me today, I dare guarantee that within three days, everyone in the Stone Clan will be slaughtered. Not a single living soul will remain!"

Qing Luo remained calm, speaking leisurely.

"Arrogant!"

"This is the Stone Clan, not your Demon Flame Space!"

"A mere Heavenly Flame dares act so wildly in our clan? Clan Chief, this old man is willing to strike and capture this wretch!"

On one side of the hall, Shi Chui, a Five-Star Dou Saint, looked toward Shi Zhentian and said,

Shi Zhentian ignored his subordinate's request to fight.

He continued to scrutinize the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame. "Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, do you think our clan was raised on threats? You want to slaughter my clan—do you have the right?"

"Do you think I would joke with you about something like this?"

Qing Luo swept his gaze around the hall and spoke casually.

"These must be the Stone Clan's true foundations, then? The Stone Clan's Four Emperors and Ten Kings?!"

The moment Qing Luo spoke those words,

the elders and guards who had been furious and eager to kill Qing Luo all froze in place, their expressions turning wary.

"Shi Zhentian, let me tell you the truth. Do you really think the Stone Clan can stand against the Emperor Alliance?"

"Besides the Pill Tower, there are the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, the Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python Clan, and the two sects of the Central Plains. If you do not believe me, I will remain here for three days. Then you can see whether your Stone Clan is destroyed after those three days!"

The corners of Qing Luo's lips rose. His narrow eyes carried a faint smile as he looked calmly at Shi Zhentian!