Chapter 898: Chapter 621: The Divine Race’s Stance
Inside the Aurora Palace, there was a specially designated reception chamber—used only when the Aurora Empress received distinguished guests. Lu Chenzhou requested Heart Dream Emperor to brew a fine pot of tea.
"Land Army Master, your courage is truly astonishing. To dare kill Lei and Qiu, seize the mines—this is tantamount to openly offending the Divine Alliance, leaving no room for reconciliation. Are you not afraid?" Nami asked with a smile.
Bodong folded his arms behind his back, watching Lu Chenzhou’s reaction. He too was curious—was this man really unafraid of the Divine Alliance’s hidden depths?
If the Divine Alliance went so far as to unleash a Clan’s Sacred Artifact regardless of cost, then apart from the Eighth Realm, nearly everyone in the Tianxia Civilization’s branch would be utterly annihilated.
Perhaps the Divine Race currently lacked any top-level powerhouses like the Kunxu Ancestor, but with the Clan’s Sacred Artifact in hand, even incomplete, it still wielded the might of a Supreme Treasure!
Who would dare provoke them?
Of the Three Thousand Worlds, aside from the Dragon and Phoenix Clans and less than a handful of cultivation civilizations with Second Step or Third Step powerhouses, who could endure the Divine Alliance’s wrath?
An ordinary Eighth Realm of the First Step was merely a larger nuisance in the eyes of the Divine Race. From what they knew, even though the Tianxia Civilization possessed several Eighth Realms, all were First Stepers. You may be enjoying this slaughter now, but how will you resist the Divine Alliance afterward?
Confronted with Nami’s slightly provocative question, Lu Chenzhou did not answer directly. Instead, he smiled and said:
"The two of you—this is Blood Fire Tea, native to the Flame Bright Great World. Drinking it aids in tempering the bloodline, greatly beneficial to your cultivation."
Lu Chenzhou gestured to the bubbling tea.
Scalding, blazing, spiritual energy raging.
"This...truly is a fine tea."
Nami and Bodong, who just now nursed some pride, found their hearts tightening when they saw this tea.
Blood Fire Tea, a rare treasure.
Produced only in the Flame Bright Realm. Legend has it, it forms when a Realm King of the Flame Bright Realm perishes and is entombed in the ancestral magma, birthing it by a rare twist of fate.
This was a forbidden commodity of the Feathered Clan.
Only the Feathered Royal Clan may partake.
To drink it, is as if to drink the blood of the Divine Race.
"What’s this? Are you afraid to drink?"
Lu Chenzhou took the tea and drained it in a single gulp.
Nami and Bodong exchanged a glance.
Then Nami gave a soft laugh. As the waves shivered, she raised her cup and drank, lightly moistening her red lips.
"What’s there to fear."
Bodong spoke gravely:
"From Land Army Master’s intent, does this mean you are determined to resist the Divine Alliance to the bitter end, with no possibility of reconciliation left?"
Lu Chenzhou nodded.
"If you two are here as mediators, you may leave. The Tianxia Civilization will not let this matter drop."
Bodong, puzzled, came right out and said:
"Land Army Master, with your pardon, from what I know, ever since war broke out, the Tianxia Civilization’s losses are far less than those of the Divine Alliance, and now you control the mine—you have profited greatly. Why not end it here? Our Sea Dominating Royal Family and other neutral Divine Races will exert pressure on the Divine Alliance, force them to withdraw from Mystic Sky, and are even willing to sign a pact to guarantee nonaggression against Tianxia. With the Forbidden Zone looming, if the Divine Alliance is destroyed, it will be as if the Three Thousand Worlds cut off one of their own arms. For future resistance, it would be terribly detrimental."
Lu Chenzhou nodded, smiling: "You have a point, but not entirely. We suffer little because we are strong enough. Had I not displayed quasi-eighth realm combat power, or had I arrived any later, perhaps my countrymen would have been slaughtered by the Divine Alliance. In places unknown to you, over the past decades, the Divine Alliance has ambushed and hunted us more than ten times without cause—killing fifty-seven Six Realm cultivators, and thousands of Four and Fifth Realm ones. Perhaps, to your Divine Race, these are mere mortals, and their deaths inconsequential. But to us, these are our compatriots—brothers and sisters forced to die far from home."
"Since its founding, the Divine Alliance has invaded and oppressed countless worlds without reason—you are well aware. To leave such an unstable element, how can the Three Thousand Realms unite? How can we trust each other to face the Evil God?"
"One of the Tianxia Martial Arts’ core tenets is punishing evil and upholding good—a balance of might and virtue. Since our founding, Tianxia clearly had the strength to sweep through most civilizations across the Eastern Extreme Territory, yet we never expanded. Our Seventh Realm elites instead selflessly aided others, seeking neither fame nor profit, fighting off demon monsters, and so far, have saved 1,356 civilizations once on the verge of destruction. I doubt you know this, do you?"
Lu Chenzhou pressed his questions sharply.
Bodong and Nami fell silent.
Frankly speaking, some actions of the Divine Alliance—they of the Sea Dominating Royal Family had done as well, such as colonization and plunder. The difference was, they were more moderate, more discreet, generally somewhat principled—not as ruthless as the Divine Alliance’s "submit or die" creed.
"The Tianxia Civilization’s contributions to the Three Thousand Realms—we acknowledge them. But under the current situation, we believe you should take the greater good into account, and step back."
Bodong’s tone weakened considerably.
"Step back? That is also possible. Go and tell the Divine Alliance to compensate us with 100,000 High Grade Primordial Stones and 10 billion Mid-grade Primordial Stones, and furthermore, swear a Divine Blood Oath to never be enemies of Tianxia. Only then will we let this rest."
Lu Chenzhou laid out a condition.
Nami’s eyes went dark.
So many Primordial Stones—especially one hundred thousand high grade—even if the Divine Alliance were to hollow out its entire foundation, it could never produce such a sum.
As the atmosphere grew awkward, Bodong hurriedly interjected:
"Enough, let’s set this aside. This time we came to Mystic Sky mainly to stand united with the Tianxia Civilization to face the reviving Evil God together."
He waved his hand, and one billion mid-grade Primordial Stones, alongside spiritual weapons and rare treasures long prepared, appeared.
"This is our sincerity."
Lu Chenzhou accepted without ceremony. Tianxia Civilization had need of resources, and as long as they did not interfere with his campaign against the Divine Alliance, he bore the Sea Dominating Royal Family no ill will.
Back in the Water Mansion, the Sea Dominating Royal Family and the other three neutral clans had indeed not made things overly difficult for him.
All things considered, their ways were preferable to the Divine Alliance’s.
After all, the ancestor divines of the four neutral clans were not savage gods, but regular deities of the Great Wilderness, so their lineage carried little violent impulse.
Next, Lu Chenzhou and the Sea Dominating Royal Family envoys signed a few letters of intent for cooperation.
Nothing with real binding force.
Before parting, Nami smiled and said, "Army Master, you are welcome to visit our Water Realm any time."
"I’ll certainly come if opportunity allows."
Lu Chenzhou watched as the two departed.
...
Soon after, the Sea Dominating Royal Family formally announced an alliance with Tianxia Civilization to resist the Evil God, and furthermore called on the Divine Alliance to withdraw its forces and compensate Tianxia for its losses.
In an instant, countless were shaken.
The exalted Divine Race—lowering themselves to proactively ally with a mortal civilization? Unheard of!
Soon after, the Green Light Divine Race and Ice Heart Spirit Clan also sent envoys to Mystic Sky, forging alliances with Tianxia; even the long-secluded Golden Clan, though not dispatching envoys, issued a statement for the greater good that the Divine Alliance should compensate for losses and end the meaningless war.
Thereafter, the Three Thousand Realms was in uproar. Clearly, owing to Martial King Lu Chenzhou’s brilliant performance in Mystic Sky and his terrifying potential, the Divine Race had split into two camps. The neutral faction now leaned toward peace—now all waits on how the Divine Alliance will respond.
...
Somewhere in the Void,
Four mighty and ancient wills gathered before a rustic round table, transforming into the figures of Yan Ming, Xuanshan, Thunder, and Gale World Venerables.
Thunder Realm Venerable squinted at Yan Ming and chuckled, "Big brother, are you about to reach ten awakenings?"
Yan Ming’s aura was even more overwhelming.
For the Divine Race, ten awakenings equated roughly to a cultivator’s third step before Grand Powerhood, enough to rival such monsters as the Black Boat Ancestor, slightly beneath Kunxu Ancestor. This left the other three World Venerables with mixed feelings.
They all still lingered at nine awakenings,
roughly matching the second step of cultivators.
Yan Ming smiled, "I do have some gains. Xuanshan, you summoned me—what’s the matter?"
Xuanshan Venerable said, "Big brother, Qiu Kuangyi and Lei Wanliu were slain by Lu Chenzhou. This Lu Chenzhou has, in less than a hundred years, attained a power on par with the Eighth Realm. If he is left unchecked, he will be a source of boundless future trouble."
Thunder Realm Venerable nodded.
"Big brother, in your secluded cultivation, you may not know—Tianxia’s strength has snowballed rapidly in recent years. Among the Eighth Realm figures showing their faces are Emperor Shitian and Eternal Immortal; I suspect the Dragon King and the Priest may also have reached the Eighth Realm but keep it hidden. Now add a quasi-eighth realm Lu Chenzhou—at the highest tiers, Tianxia has caught up to us."
Gale World Venerable said, "Yin Jiujiao himself saw Lu Chenzhou use the Nine-Colored Lotus divine skill, empowered with Heavenly Tribulation Power, to refine Lei Wanliu and a swath of Thunder Sea alive. He claims that strike could severely wound most Divine Race members with eight awakenings, and Lu Chenzhou has not even broken into the Eighth Realm. If he advances... though I dislike admitting it, I fear that aside from big brother, none of the three of us could confidently defeat him."
The gap between the Second Step and First Step is great, yet it still doesn’t match that between Seventh and Eighth Realm.
Yan Ming Venerable’s expression was grave: "It’s faster than I anticipated indeed." Then he continued, "But there’s no need to panic. The tribulation from Seventh to Eighth Realm vastly surpasses any before; the more gifted the person, the more Heaven envies them. Rumor has it Lu Chenzhou’s Seventh Realm tribulation was already the full measure of Eight Tribulations—how frightening will the Eighth Realm tribulation be? It’s already beyond our imaginings. Not to mention, Lu Chenzhou is a thorn in the Forbidden Zone’s side as well—I guarantee that when he attempts to break into the Eighth Realm, the Forbidden Zone will certainly try to interfere. Of course, we cannot place all hope in the Forbidden Zone; we must plan to eliminate Lu Chenzhou ourselves. For now, let us contract our lines and fully fortify the Eastern Extreme Border Tower. It won’t be long before I reach the third step, truly standing atop all beings. By then, I’ll personally step forth and crush him myself."
In today’s universe, there are no more than a handful of open third-step combatants. A Third Step can crush four or five Second Step powers with ease, sweep aside a great many First Stepers—invincible beneath the sky.
Unless a Grand Power emerges, should Third Step Yan Ming Venerable deal with Lu Chenzhou himself, who could possibly save the man?
The closer he came, the more Yan Ming Venerable sensed the might of the third step. No wonder the likes of the Kunxu Ancestor, veteran giants, never bothered with Three Thousand World affairs, nor involved themselves in civilization disputes. They stood too high, already wielding an unsurpassable power; their only pursuit was the Great Dao itself. The strife of the Four Great Realms’ civilizations—to them—was like children playing house.
Thunder Realm King said:
"Big brother, one more thing—the Sea Dominating Royal Family’s envoy visited the Aurora Palace and met with Tianxia’s high command. Those fish people not only presented exorbitant tribute to Tianxia, but publicly demanded we, the Divine Alliance, stand down and compensate Tianxia for war damages, and join Tianxia in setting aside old grudges to combat the Forbidden Zone together.
After the Sea Dominating Royal Family’s statement, the Green Light Divine Race and Ice Heart Spirit Clan quickly established diplomatic ties with Tianxia, also deeming our war unjust. The Golden Clan echoed them...Today, public opinion across the Three Thousand Realms is starkly against us; many mid- and small-civilization leaders have led their peoples to Mystic Sky to aid Tianxia. Some late-stage Seventh Realm and peak lone powerhouses—like Old Man Diao Shan, the Heavenly Swordman, and Grandmaster Ming Daozi—have publicly pledged their support as well."