Everyone immediately turned in unison toward the raised platform at the center of the square.
A man in white robes was slowly ascending the platform, his hands clasped behind his back.
He had refined features and a restrained aura, yet his brow carried the authority of someone long accustomed to a position of power.
He reached the center of the platform and swept an indifferent gaze over the crowd, a barely concealed flicker of impatience flashing through his eyes.
No one dared delay. They immediately cupped their fists in salute. "Greetings, Envoy Zhang!"
Envoy Zhang casually raised a hand, and the noisy gathering instantly fell silent.
He cleared his throat and began:
"I won't go into unnecessary detail about this Demon-Slaying Alliance operation."
"The same rules apply. Under a Level Three Demon Suppression Writ, only disciples below the Golden Core Stage may be deployed. No sect may send Golden Core cultivators into battle."
"At the end, Alliance Points will be awarded according to each sect's contributions."
Alliance meetings like this took place almost every month. If they weren't suppressing one sect, they were suppressing some lineage.
Sometimes, to settle internal disputes, the alliance would even give its own members a little "suppression."
At the end of the day, it was all about territorial disputes-or, put another way, an uneven division of the spoils.
But whether the conflict was internal or external, the Eastern Region had an unwritten rule: every level of dispute had its own method of resolution.
And this "Level Three Demon Suppression Writ" was the lowest level. Only disciples below the Golden Core Stage could be deployed, with Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement cultivators forming the main force.
Heavenly Baleful Valley understood this perfectly well, too, and would never send out Golden Core disciples.
Because once Golden Core