Chapter 509: Chapter 448: Battle of Conviction, 5 Masters of Alchemy
The succession ceremony was rushed, with the crowd hastily assembling a rough dharma altar. Then Elder Tianji stepped down, passing the Second-rank Three Pure Ones Three Cave Treasure Talisman to Song Lin.
Upon the dharma altar, Song Lin stood bathed in golden light with a mysterious talisman hovering above his head.
This talisman, known as the Three Pure Ones Three Cave Talisman, belongs to the Taoist School’s Second-rank treasure talismans.
At the instant he received the talisman, Song Lin gained control over all the mountains and terrain spanning the Five States of the Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Alliance.
The realm of the Yin God Earth Deities expanded even further.
After a long while, Song Lin opened his eyes.
Everyone bowed in respect.
"Greetings, Donghua Heavenly Master! May the Taoist Energy endure eternally, and immortal fortune be everlasting."
"Rise!"
Song Lin slightly raised his hand, signaling everyone present—who were all members of the Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Alliance—to stand. The representatives from the other two alliances had been dismissed after stamping their seals.
From now on, Song Lin would lead the Five Great Taoist Sects in resisting the demon forces.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
There were far too many coincidences leading to him becoming the Taoist Alliance Celestial Master unexpectedly.
Song Lin’s original intent was to kill the Demon Envoy and compel the Demon Clan to resist the greater forces of the demons.
Once the Demon Envoy was slain, the situation would have been irreversible—even if he offered his own head to the demons as an apology, it would have been fruitless.
Unexpectedly, within the story’s unfolding world, Song Lin encountered Xiao Mao True Monarch, acquired the Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect, and by the twists of fate, inadvertently assumed the role of the Taoist Alliance Celestial Master.
Yet, this perfectly aligned with his intentions.
As the saying goes: "A new official burns three fires upon taking office."
Song Lin pointed at Shoucheng and Lingce and proclaimed, "Shoucheng and Lingce have repeatedly acted against their peers and secretly colluded with demons. They are to be imprisoned and await further judgment."
The so-called prison was, of course, the World in the Pot.
By leveraging the authority of the Taoist Alliance Celestial Master, Song Lin subdued them, leaving them with no choice but to surrender docilely.
These two would remain in custody for now, as it wasn’t the right moment to settle accounts post-autumn.
"The Central General Record Palace will be renamed Taiyi Jinhua Palace, and the Heavenly Mechanism Minister position will be taken by Shi Yinhua. Other positions remain unchanged," Song Lin announced.
The Spirit Treasure Celestial Master wouldn’t get a new arrangement; after all, he was already the Celestial Master of the Spirit Treasure Sect.
"Azure Dragon, report to me on the current state of the Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Alliance."
"Understood."
Seeing that Song Lin did not pursue any charges against him, Azure Dragon visibly relaxed and stepped forward to say:
"Reporting to the Heavenly Master, the Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Alliance comprises five sects. Among them, at the Primordial Spirit Level, Spirit Treasure Sect has three members, Yuzhen Sect has one, the Weiling Sect has one, Yuanfu Sect has one, and Donghua Sect has two."
Usually, this tally does not include puppets or mounts.
If we consider peak combat power, Spirit Treasure Sect is undoubtedly the strongest, followed by Donghua Sect; but if it’s Primordial Spirit-level power, Donghua Sect holds an overwhelming advantage.
The Twelve Yuan Chen combined with Chiyou results in an utterly terrifying force.
"There are twenty-eight tribulation-crossing cultivators, one hundred and sixteen belonging to the Purple Mansion realm, and one thousand and five Core Formation cultivators. Mortal populations total approximately 450 million, while the Taoist Alliance encompasses an area of 1.1 million square kilometers."
"That’s quite a lot."
The Spirit Treasure Sect accounts for the bulk, whereas the mortal population within Donghua Sect barely exceeds forty million. Spirit Treasure Sect occupies four-tenths of the territory and nearly half the population.
This speaks volumes about the depth of its foundation.
Song Lin roughly grasped an overview of the Alliance’s strength.
The Heavenly Masters and high-ranking officials gathered in the grand hall and took their seats.
"The death of the Demon Envoy will surely invite reprisal. Both the Crane Clan and Whale Chicken Clan’s Demon Lords are Harmonization cultivators. We cannot withstand their forces," Spirit Treasure Celestial Master cautioned earnestly.
Spirit Treasure Celestial Master’s sentiment aligns with the concern shared by many.
Why does the Taoist Alliance bow to demons? Simply because they possess Harmonization-level cultivators.
Thinking of this disparity filled everyone with unease.
"Since they’ve come, then let’s fight! This battle shall mark the first uprising of the Human Clan against the demons—it must be victorious and dazzling!"
"But we don’t have Harmonization-level power."
"We will in the future."
This battle is the Human Clan’s fight to instill belief after thousands of years.
It must end in victory or drive the demons away.
"What I want you all to understand is that the strength of humanity is not as weak as it seems. In the past, we lacked unity and failed to form a collective force."
The most important trait of humans is not their physiques; save for Song Lin himself, few could match the demons in that regard.
The most vital asset is unity.
As long as humanity stands united, considering the matter differently, the gap between humans and demons is merely one Harmonization-level combat force.
"How does the Heavenly Master plan to proceed?"
Taihua asked.
"Here’s how: from now on, withdraw our battle lines, and everyone concentrate their efforts in this area."
Song Lin marked a circle on the map.
The territory encompassed Xia Capital and surrounding regions, totaling two million square kilometers.
All citizens and cultivators were to be gathered within this core territory, forging an iron-clad defensive formation.
"This... Concentrating so many people together, what if..."
Spirit Treasure Celestial Master trailed off before voicing his concern—what if they lose to the demons and it all ends in catastrophe?
"A Harmonization cultivator will come. You’ll understand when the time comes. Dismissed," Song Lin said calmly.
Though the crowd left with doubts, they knew there was no choice but to prepare for resisting the demons.
The Demon Crown Prince and Princess were dead. The demon forces would undoubtedly unleash wrathful vengeance, and even those harboring hidden motives understood there was no reasoning with the demons without wholesale carnage.
By the next day.
News of the upheaval within the Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Alliance spread across the land, triggering waves of public discussion. Everyone speculated: Who was Song Lin?
With Spirit Treasure Celestial Master stepping down and Song Lin assuming leadership, plus the killing of the Demon Envoy, chaos ensued.
At the same time, the proclamation jointly issued by the Black Heaven, Witch God, and Mystical Sect alliances to denounce demons caused a major uproar across nations.
Too reckless, practically suicidal!
This was the sentiment shared by both humans and demons.
What trump card could these three alliances possibly possess?
As for their secret weapon, neither Chi Wujie nor Heavenly Dharma knew. The Celestial Masters of those alliances merely felt like coughing blood—it was an entirely unwarranted disaster brought about by Song Lin. They wished they could tear him to shreds.
But now it was impossible. Allegedly, the five Demon Lords were furious, mobilizing in three divisions with a vow to flatten the three alliances.
The Black Heaven and Witch God alliances only wished they could protest their innocence. They were explicitly aligned with the demons but had been dragged onto Song Lin’s treacherous boat against their will.
After sending three envoys who all ended up dead, they had no choice but to prepare for battle.
Within the World in the Pot.
Song Lin assembled the Four Great Celestial Masters, as well as Zhengxin, Bai Mei, Mei Hua, and other arithmetic specialists from various Taoist sects.
"No need for pleasantries; I intend to borrow your strength to refine the Nine-Transformation Golden Pill," Song Lin declared straightforwardly.
"What is the Nine-Transformation Golden Pill?"
Spirit Treasure Celestial Master asked.
"The Divine Pill of resurrection and creation. This is the Harmonization-level combat force I’ve been telling you about."
Song Lin explained confidently; with one dose, Chiyou would instantly regain his Harmonization-level power.
The remaining Divine Pills could push others to ascend realms and elevate their Taoist skills.
Song Lin hoped to deepen his understanding of the Great Dao—perhaps the pill would provide the path.
As for Spirit Treasure Sect obtaining Harmonization-level power, its actual effect might only boost the likelihood of achieving it. True Harmonization would require finding the Dragon Head Master Seal.
Hearing Song Lin’s explanation, everyone opened their eyes wide in astonishment. Could such a pill truly exist?
The number nine symbolizes the utmost limit. A pill that undergoes refinement nine times, culminating in medicinal efficacy reaching near-perfection—approaching the essence of the Dao.
"I humbly request the help of all of you!"
Song Lin spoke earnestly: "As I have said repeatedly, the Human Clan is not inherently weak—it merely lacks unity. This battle is poised to establish human confidence and serves as proof to demonstrate the power of collective effort."
"Together, let’s forge a new realm for humanity."
This would also serve as a test for Song Lin.
Having them assist with alchemy necessitated absolute trust; it demanded giving one’s all and entrusting one’s back wholly to one another.
The crowd exchanged uncertain glances, even Shoucheng and Lingce found themselves moved.
Could this small group of people truly succeed?
"I will! I’ll oversee the furnace!"
Taihua Heavenly Master stepped forward first, declaring, "To hear the Dao in the morning and die in the evening is worth it!"
"I!"
"I!"
"We’ll handle calculating the mystics!"
Zhengxin, Mei Hua, and Bai Mei stepped out.
"I shall construct the dharma altar."
Hesitating, Shoucheng Heavenly Master finally spoke.
He truly dare not provoke Song Lin; facing him, victory seemed utterly impossible—securing leniency was the wiser course.
"I will purify the water and draw talismans," Lingce said.
"I shall channel mana to all and connect us to the heavens," Spirit Treasure Celestial Master concluded.
Three days.
Within three days, all Taoist sects had fully retracted their battle lines to take up defensive formations.
Within four days, the demon army, along with Harmonization cultivators, would arrive.
Seven days total.
Seven days were all the time they had to prepare.
"Haha! My fellow Taoists, with determination, success is inevitable. In this battle, we’ve already triumphed in spirit!"
Song Lin was deeply satisfied.
The Five Great Heavenly Masters, numerous experts.
United in harmony, working to refine a single batch of pills, each contributing their strengths—this collaboration was unprecedented.
A storm brewing, dragons and serpents stirring the earth.
(Requesting monthly votes.)