Establishing an Alliance

Sage Tianyan gently swept his sleeve.

A familiar map appeared before the two of them.

It showed the entire Cangxuan Continent.

"Fellow Daoist Qingtian, you should know that, of the entire Cangxuan Continent, your Qingzhou is the weakest."

Hearing this, Ancestor Qingtian nodded slightly.

That was undeniable.

Desolate Province revered martial might and was embroiled in warfare year-round. Every cultivator there possessed astonishing combat strength.

Central Province enjoyed a superior location and abundant resources. It was a paradise for cultivators, with sects everywhere and countless powerful experts.

Demon Province, meanwhile, was a gathering place for demonic cultivators, where dragons and fish mingled. Even Saint Realm experts were not absolutely safe there.

As for their Qingzhou, it had neither resources nor an advantageous location. Yet precisely because of that, Qingzhou's lower-level cultivators also lived the most carefree lives.

Furthermore, Qingzhou had only one hegemonic power, so it was also known as the safest place.

That was also the main reason Sage Tianyan had chosen Qingzhou in the first place.

"The weak will be bullied. If Qingzhou continues as it is, its destruction will not be far off."

Sage Tianyan's tone was calm, but Ancestor Qingtian's expression changed drastically.

"Senior Tianyan, what do you mean?"

"My Qingzhou never takes the initiative to stir up trouble. All these years, though there have often been clashes among the four provinces, Qingzhou has always remained at peace with the other three. How could it be destroyed?"

Ancestor Qingtian could hardly believe it.

Even though those words had come from Sage Tianyan himself.

Yet Sage Tianyan said calmly, "What if I told you that, in the near future, the four provinces will face an unprecedented chaotic war?"

"When that time comes, there will be no peace anywhere."

"To survive, one must have enough strength."

Hearing this, Ancestor Qingtian abruptly took a step back, his expression full of shock and uncertainty.

After a long silence, Ancestor Qingtian looked at Sage Tianyan and said gravely, "Senior Tianyan, how certain are you that this is true?"

Sage Tianyan slowly rose to his feet and stood with his hands behind his back. "Completely certain."

Such was Sage Tianyan's confidence.

Ancestor Qingtian naturally knew what he was capable of. After all, the name Tianyan was not given lightly.

A chaotic war among the four provinces?

When that time came, Qingzhou's current strength would surely make it the first to fall.

And the so-called hegemon of Qingzhou, the Azure Feather Dynasty, would ultimately be swept away by the torrent of war into the long river of history.

More importantly, whether he himself could live until then was unknown.

Once he fell, the Azure Feather Dynasty would become a lamb awaiting slaughter, at the mercy of others.

Seeing that Ancestor Qingtian had fallen into a panic, Sage Tianyan knew in his heart that he had achieved his goal.

Sage Tianyan continued, "Fellow Daoist, there is no need to worry so much. An opportunity to save your Azure Feather Dynasty lies right before you."

"Oh? Please tell me, Senior."

A light flashed in Ancestor Qingtian's eyes as he hurriedly asked.

Sage Tianyan stroked his graying beard and smiled faintly. "You should have a clear view of my Lu Clan's current situation. It is already far from what it once was."

"So the most urgent task for my Lu Clan is to quickly recover its strength."

Hearing this, Ancestor Qingtian immediately understood what he meant. "Senior, does your Lu Clan need my Azure Feather Dynasty's help?"

Sage Tianyan did not deny it. He nodded directly and said, "That's right. As long as you help my Lu Clan through this period, my Lu Clan will form an alliance with your Azure Feather Dynasty. From then on, our two sides will be allies."

"The day my Lu Clan returns to Central Province will be the day its name resounds throughout the world once more."

What confidence that was.

Even though his Lineage had been dormant for a hundred thousand years and had now fallen so far as to become a third-rate power in this remote corner.

Sage Tianyan still displayed the bearing of a man who held every move in his grasp, as though he harbored the ambition to swallow mountains and rivers!

At the sight, Ancestor Qingtian was shaken and hesitated no longer.

"Senior Tianyan, my Azure Feather Dynasty is willing to form an everlasting alliance with your esteemed clan and help it return to its position as a hegemon as soon as possible!"

Sage Tianyan was right. For the Azure Feather Dynasty, this was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It could be said that the Azure Feather Dynasty was fortunate to have encountered the Lu Clan as it was now.

Had it been the Lu Clan of more than a hundred thousand years ago, it probably would not even have deigned to glance at the Azure Feather Dynasty.

So this was an opportunity that belonged to the Azure Feather Dynasty.

Ancestor Qingtian chose to seize it firmly. It was equivalent to attaching themselves to a future superpower!

Even if he fell in the future, with the protection of the behemoth that was the Lu Clan, the dynasty would likely not be reduced to destruction, even if its decline was unavoidable.

As for whether the Lu Clan could return to its former peak.

A hundred thousand years ago, Ancestor Tianyan had been able to stir up storms in Central Province with Saint Realm cultivation. Now that he had reached the Sage King Realm, Ancestor Qingtian had no reason to doubt his ability.

The two then swore an oath on the spot.

If either side broke it, the other would surely suffer a severe backlash. At best, their cultivation would be completely crippled; at worst, they would fall on the spot.

The more powerful a being was, the more clearly they understood the power of an oath.

Once the oath was sworn, Ancestor Qingtian immediately took out his storage ring and handed it to Sage Tianyan without hesitation.

"Senior Tianyan, I left in a hurry and did not bring much. Please take this and use it for now. I'll fetch more from the dynasty's treasury when I return."

With those words, Ancestor Qingtian hurried back to the dynasty.

Sage Tianyan watched Ancestor Qingtian's departing figure for a moment before waving his hand.

The next moment, Lu Qingshan's figure appeared beside him.

"Ancestor, you're truly amazing. With just a few words, you actually got Ancestor Qingtian to give everything he has to help our Lu Clan."

At that moment, Lu Qingshan was practically drooling as he looked at the storage ring in his ancestor's hand.

Those were the resources of a sage.

Yet Sage Tianyan shook his head and chuckled. "Qingshan, I wasn't trying to scare anyone with what I said. A world-shaking war really will take place on the Cangxuan Continent in the future. When that time comes, no power will be spared."

"That is why our clan must recover its strength as quickly as possible."

"What?!"

Lu Qingshan's eyes widened. At that moment, he felt as though the pressure on his shoulders had grown much heavier.

By then, Sage Tianyan had handed the storage ring to Lu Qingshan and gently patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Your ancestor is still here."

For some reason, Lu Qingshan's nose stung slightly at those words. He then bowed respectfully to Ancestor Tianyan.

"Ancestor, your descendant will do everything in his power to restore our Lu Clan to its former glory!"

A group of people appeared in the distance across a desolate expanse.

Several enormous Azure Qilin Beasts pulled a small palace toward them in a grand procession, an imposing sight.

"Your Highness, Ninth Prince, our destination, White Cloud City, lies just ahead."

Chi Chen, a squad leader of the Azure Feather Guard, came up beside the palace and spoke in a low voice.

Inside the small palace, a young man in an embroidered purple robe was reclining in comfort, his eyes half-closed. Only upon hearing the words from outside did he open them slightly.

"We're here already? I wanted to have a little more fun."

As his voice faded, a light, clear voice sounded beside him.

"Imperial Brother, we didn't come here to play. Don't forget our purpose."

Hearing this, the purple-robed young man tilted his head toward the speaker.

She was a young woman in a long pink-and-white dress. Her skin was smooth as cream and utterly flawless, while her long, shapely thighs appeared and disappeared beneath her skirt, leaving much to the imagination.

Her face was beautiful enough to topple cities and kingdoms. Her large, bright eyes were captivating, and within their clarity lay a glint of mischief that could not be overlooked.

At that moment, she was staring intently at the purple-robed young man, a hint of warning in her gentle gaze.

"All right, all right. I really can't win against you."

The purple-robed young man shook his head with a rueful smile. "Wouldn't it have been better if you were a man? Then Imperial Father might have made you the crown prince."

At those words, the young woman clenched her delicate fists, and the atmosphere inside the small palace grew a few degrees colder.

Seeing that his imperial sister seemed a little angry, the purple-robed young man hurried out of the palace.

He could not afford to provoke this younger sister of his, who had already reached the Spirit Concentration Realm at only sixteen.

When Chi Chen saw the Ninth Prince, he hurried forward.

"Your Highness, Ninth Prince, I was just about to send a few people into the city to scout out the situation first."

The Ninth Prince, Qing Zhe, frowned slightly. "Is there any need to be so cautious in a shabby little place like this?"

"There probably isn't even a Void Shattering Realm expert in the city."

"But..."

Chi Chen wanted to say more, but Qing Zhe was already growing impatient. "If you want to go, then go. Have the culprit kneel at the city gates and wait for me. If I'm in a good mood when I arrive, I might spare their life."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Chi Chen sighed inwardly, but still set off, tearing through the air toward White Cloud City.

At that moment, the young woman also emerged from the palace and came to Qing Zhe's side.

"You're so careless. One day, you'll suffer for it."

Qing Zhe was dismissive inwardly, but he still chuckled and said, "You jest, Imperial Sister. Isn't it because you're here that I can feel so at ease?"

Qing Zhe's attitude of giving up on trying made Qing Xu's delicate brows crease slightly.

But she said nothing more, instead gazing thoughtfully into the distance, in the direction of White Cloud City.

"I hope what I want really is there."