Chapter 445: Chapter 440: Under Duress, a Prepared Escape Route
The personal intervention of the Great Zhou Martial Saint Ancestor represented the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s unyielding stance. Although Gu An sensed there was something wrong with the situation, he had no choice but to accept the Imperial Dynasty’s current arrangements.
After all, if they accepted the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s arrangements, they could at least preserve half of their top-tier Combat Power. If they defied them, the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty would just make an example of them again, and their situation would become even more dire.
If he could get a response from the Merak Sacred Land, he wouldn’t just know what was truly happening, but could also adopt a firmer stance. But since there was no word from the Merak Sacred Land, he couldn’t make any significant moves.
The Cyan Yuan Sect could not be wiped out. This was a prerequisite; otherwise, his plan to enter the Merak Sacred Land would be nothing but empty talk, impossible to realize. This was certainly not an outcome Gu An wished to see.
If he had a choice, he certainly wouldn’t send Yang Chan to the border. After all, during the previous two conscriptions, none of the Pharmacists sent as support had returned alive. This implied that there was far too much treachery involved.
Given a choice, he would never have done so.
Some Sects planned to rise up in rebellion and defect to the Jin Meng Empire, but they were stopped.
The title of ’traitor’ was an ugly one, and it invited animosity. As long as the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty hadn’t fallen, none of the major Sects would openly commit treason. They did, however, have other plans.
Gu An, for instance, had already arranged for some disciples to ’disappear’ within Qing State.
However, it was difficult for someone like Yang Chan, the Chief Pharmacist, to do the same. He had been to White Jade City, and the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty had personally named him to be sent as support. If the Cyan Yuan Sect let him disappear at a time like this, they would likely have to face the Great Zhou Martial Saint Ancestor.
The Cyan Yuan Sect had no way to deal with a Martial Saint. They didn’t even have a single Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster at the moment. Forget a Martial Saint—the Sect would struggle to handle even a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster if one were to attack.
When living under another’s roof, one must bow one’s head.
Although Gu An didn’t want Yang Chan to go to the front lines, he could only yield to the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. This was the only way to secure an opportunity for the Cyan Yuan Sect, and for himself.
If the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty dared to initiate a fourth round of conscription, the major Sects would break away from it directly. None of them were willing to live and die with the Imperial Dynasty.
Part of the reason for this compromise was that the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s National Guardian Martial Saint Ancestor was personally heading to the border to join the fight against the Jin Meng Empire—an outcome the major Sects were eager to witness.
If the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty won, then it was simple: they would all reap the fruits of victory.
If the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty lost, then the major Sects would exact their payment from the Great Zhou Imperial Family. They would take back everything they had lost from the Imperial Family and, at the same time, help to overthrow the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty.
Without a Martial Saint to protect the Great Zhou Imperial Family, the united major Sects would act without restraint. This would also serve as a gift to the new dynasty, and an offering to prove their loyalty, allowing them to remain Overlord Level forces.
The harsher the oppression, the stronger the backlash.
If the two sides were to negotiate a peace treaty, then things would remain quiet for the time being, and everyone could continue to develop steadily.
To be honest, the major Sects had no love for war between the two empires. The impact on them was immense, just as it was now, with the burden of their contributions stretching them beyond their limits.
If the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s Martial Saint Ancestor hadn’t personally gone to the front, the backlash would have already begun. It was only because the Great Zhou Imperial Family was leading the charge, with the Martial Saint Ancestor taking action, that this bizarre situation—and its equally bizarre pact—had come to be.
It was baffling and strange.
Gu An had to tell Yang Chan all this. If Yang Chan disappeared after reaching the border, it would have nothing to do with the Cyan Yuan Sect. Then, he could follow Gu An to the Merak Sacred Land. Once he became a member of the Merak Sacred Land, he wouldn’t have to worry about the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty coming to settle scores later. Besides, it was anyone’s guess whether the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty even had a future.
In a way, the people of the Holy Lands were even more powerful. After all, the Holy Lands had existed for far, far longer than the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. Their foundations were on a completely different level.
"Sect Leader, for this conscription by the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, is the Martial Saint Ancestor personally leading the men to the border?"
As Yang Chan listened to Gu An, his ominous feeling grew stronger. When Gu An mentioned being forced to go to the border, his brow furrowed deeply.
’The Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty seems to be targeting me!’
’To be precise, they’re targeting all the major Sects. For them to make such specific, harsh demands is startling.’
"The Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s Martial Saint Ancestor will be going to the border to join the war, but he won’t necessarily travel with the people from the Sects."
"I will make arrangements for you. When the fighting starts, Sect Elders will be there to protect you. If the situation turns bad, leave the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty immediately and head for the Merak Sacred Land."
"The main problem right now is that we don’t know what’s happening with the Merak Sacred Land. We haven’t had a reply to the letter we sent, which makes it difficult for me to finalize the arrangements!"
"I sense that there’s a huge problem within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, but unfortunately, we’re in no position to refuse."
"Qingxuan Fanlou is a cautionary tale. They openly objected, and their master was severely wounded by the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s Martial Saint Ancestor. The gap between a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster and a Martial Saint is immense."
"The Cyan Yuan Sect’s current foundation is even weaker than Qingxuan Fanlou’s. We are in no position to object. Only if we get a reply from the Merak Sacred Land can we afford to be more assertive."
Gu An spoke these words, but in his heart, he had already guessed at the Merak Sacred Land’s intentions. ’These Holy Lands rarely meddle in the affairs of Imperial Dynasties. Under normal circumstances, a reply would have already come back.’
As one of the Merak Sacred Land’s Affiliated Forces, he could naturally surmise a few things.
’It’s just like the Cyan Yuan Sect in the past. We would almost never offend an Overlord Level power from another state for the sake of one of our own Affiliated Forces. Demanding an explanation would be the absolute limit.’
’Because a conflict between forces of that level would escalate into a confrontation between two states. The current situation between the Merak Sacred Land and the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty is similar, except the scope of its impact is even broader.’
This was Gu An’s conjecture. As the Sect Leader of the Cyan Yuan Sect, he treated his own Affiliated Forces the very same way.
’Perhaps the Former Sect Leader Liu Xuan and the others within the Merak Sacred Land would want to help, but they haven’t established a firm foothold there yet and don’t have much influence.’
’However, if they were to make their way to the Merak Sacred Land later and ask to join, it was very likely they would be accepted.’
’It was just like the Cyan Yuan Sect; when faced with such a situation, they would almost always offer some form of compensation.’
Gu An, for his part, was prepared for the worst-case scenario. If it came to that, then so be it.
He was very optimistic about Yang Chan’s potential. Inside the Merak Sacred Land, he believed Yang Chan could go much further. The help he offered now would be repaid to him later, which would naturally bring him great benefits as well.
Conversely, if Yang Chan were to die on the front lines, all of Gu An’s previous investments in him would be wasted. It was incredibly difficult to find someone with such an outstanding talent for Alchemy.
In all his years at the Cyan Yuan Sect, he had only ever met one person like Yang Chan—and it was someone he had helped when they were still weak, making the connection all the more precious.
Thus, he had already planned an escape route for Yang Chan.
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