Chapter 746: Alliance
"?"
The sudden hostility caused the Sea Master to freeze in place. For a brief moment, this powerhouse that dominated the Ruins of Return in the South Sea felt wronged—a feeling he hadn't felt for a long time.
What day is today? Why is everyone so aggressive?
His subordinates, who had always been very obedient, and this old man, who had been ready to kneel and kowtow just moments ago... Even if a stray dog by the roadside wouldn't get kicked by everyone it met.
"Grand Ancestor Fuyou, Sea Master, let’s talk this through," Chu Liang interjected to mediate.
The Sea Master cast a glance at Chu Liang, and for a fleeting moment, he actually thought, The Violet Gold Marquess isn’t so bad after all.
Then he turned back to Grand Ancestor Fuyou and asked, "Grand Ancestor, why did you say that?"
"Hmph!" Grand Ancestor Fuyou flicked his sleeve, brimming with anger.
"I have been trapped under Misty Island for two thousand years. Two. Thousand. Years!" exclaimed the Grand Ancestor Fuyou. "Do you have any idea what those two thousand years were like?"
"..."
Seeing the eldest and most powerful Eminent One in the room fly into a rage, no one dared to speak. They simply listened in silence.
Grand Ancestor Fuyou continued, "Every day, I reflected on why I had ended up like this. And at last, I understood—I cultivated the Great Dao of Reincarnation, yet I never respected life. I took far too many lives. The heavens made me endure this tribulation for one reason—to teach me to abandon my wicked ways and return to the path of righteousness."
He glared at the Sea Master with righteous indignation and said, "And now you want me to join you in your wickedness...? Let me tell you this—I will never kill again. From now on, I will devote myself to good deeds, accumulate virtue, and peacefully live out the rest of my days."
So it turned out that this guy hadn’t just been pretending to be polite to escape. He genuinely wanted to turn over a new leaf.
"Grand Ancestor!" the Sea Master exclaimed. He then fell silent for a moment before speaking firmly. Let me ask you just one thing. You say you want to abandon your wicked ways and return to the path of righteousness, but do you think Wuchao will believe you?"
"Whether he believes me or not, what does that have to do with me?" Grand Ancestor Fuyou said indifferently. "I will leave the Ruins of Return and roam the four seas. Is he going to come after me?"
The Sea Master shook his head. "Even if you hold no intention of revenge, do you think it will be possible that he will believe that you bear no resentment at all? And ask yourself this. If there came a day in which you made progress in your cultivation, can you truly say that you won’t harbor even the slightest desire for vengeance?"
Grand Ancestor Fuyou replied resolutely, "I won’t."
The Sea Master then said, "And yet, I ask again—will Wuchao believe you?"
This time, it was Grand Ancestor Fuyou who fell silent.
The Sea Master continued, "For countless years, many great and powerful existences have been defeated by Wuchao and not a single one of them escaped with their life. You were the only one and you only survived because he couldn't kill you. Even so, he arranged for you to be struck by the divine lightning in the Misty Island every night. With his personality, he will never rest easy until you are dead. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, he will stop at nothing to hunt you down."
As the Sea Master spoke, he raised his voice. "Grand Ancestor, trust me. Killing Wuchao is the only path forward for us in the Ruins of Return and for you as well! Even if you have no intention of fighting for power, this is the only way you can have the chance to escape and roam the world freely."
Grand Ancestor Fuyou let out a sigh. "You have great cultivation power and even greater ambition. But challenging Wuchao at your level is nothing more than a fool's dream. For two thousand years, the strikes of divine lightning have steadily eroded my cultivation power. I no longer possess even a tenth of my former power. Even if we joined forces, victory would still be beyond our reach."
The Sea Master spoke slowly. "Grand Ancestor, you need not worry. Our chances of victory are not entirely zero. To defeat such a powerful enemy, we must unite every force available. Wuchao may be powerful, but if I summon the great Demon Kings of the Far West, will he be able to withstand them?
"What if I ask the Celestial Master from the Celestial Charm Sect to join this fight as well? Even with all his mystic arts, Wuchao won’t be able to withstand all that.
"And even if he commands the sea demons to fight with him, what if I enlist Xuan Yinzi, Violet Gold Marquess, and a host of diabolical cultivators? How can he possibly win then?"
...
Seeing that Grand Ancestor Fuyou’s resolve seemed to waver, Chu Liang wanted to advise him against this, but with the Sea Master present, he couldn't speak freely.
As for who was stronger between Grand Ancestor Fuyou and Sea Master, it was hard to say. Even if the Grand Ancestor Fuyou had once been able to fight against Wuchao, he had been greatly weakened over time and he was no longer the same as before.
Moreover, as Chu Liang listened to the Sea Master, he suddenly had an idea.
The Demon Kings of the Far West? The evildoers of the Celestial Charm Sect? These evildoers have always been in hiding, making it really hard to eliminate them all at once. If they can all be lured out and wiped out in one fell swoop, wouldn't this be a heaven-sent opportunity? Perhaps there is no need to stop the Sea Master's scheme just yet.
As Chu Liang thought of this, he immediately exclaimed, "The Sea Master is right! If we must risk our lives to drag Wuchao down, then so be it! Our Dark King Sect may be small and lacking in eighth-realm Eminent Ones, but we will throw everything we have into this fight for our allies! Even if Grand Ancestor Fuyou chooses not to act, we can work with the allies in the Far West and Celestial Charm Sect to stir up a storm in the Ruins of Return!"
Hearing that, Lin Bei got fired up as well. He burst into hearty laughter. "Heheheh! Exactly! The reason evil always seems to be suppressed by righteousness is because those so-called righteous sects stand united! The Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten gang up on us time and time again, crushing us beneath their so-called justice!
"It’s about time we, the oppressed demons and diabolical cultivators of the world, band together and carve out our own path! And we’ll start right here, in the Ruins of Return! Let them witness firsthand how a single spark can set the entire land ablaze!
"Cheers to the Invincible sea demons! And long live the diabolical sects!"
Hearing Lin Bei's impassioned speech, Xu Ziyang and Chu Liang couldn't help but exchange glances.
It doesn't seem like he's acting...
Upon seeing how Lin Bei was behaving, the Sea Master felt deeply moved and thought to himself, Gotta give it to these human diabolical cultivators. Even in doing evil, they do it with intellectual sophistication. No wonder they were able to rescue Grand Ancestor Fuyou.
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
As the Sea Master thought of his two useless subordinates, he was filled with anger.
Without hesitation, he gave a firm nod. "This is the day that we form the alliance of the demons and human evildoers! I swear that you three from the Dark King Sect will always be the most steadfast allies of the Ruins of Return Cult!"
Lin Bei exclaimed in response, "We're all brothers here!"
Their passionate speeches nearly led to a blood pact on the spot.
Perhaps moved by the intense atmosphere, Grand Ancestor Fuyou, who had remained silent at the side for a while, suddenly spoke. "Since the young men who freed me have allied with you, very well. I will assist you this once. But let me be clear. I will only help you deal with Wuchao. I will not kill him with my own hands."
...
While an alliance was being formed in the Ruins of Return in the South Sea, another Chu Liang suddenly opened his eyes in a private chamber atop Mount Shu.
The chamber was lined with intricate enchanted formation patterns, and countless Spiritual Qi Jade Talismans were stacked around it, half of which had already been depleted.
Maintaining a clone created through External Manifestation for everyday activities wasn’t difficult, but sustaining it in long-range combat for an extended period consumed an immense amount of spiritual energy. Even powerful eighth-realm cultivators would appear in their true form when fighting at full strength.
A clone created through External Manifestation would not be able to cultivate. Otherwise, it would be just like a Large-Headed Doll. All of its spiritual energy was supplied directly by the true form, and when the distance between them became too great, the energy loss during the transmission would double. Sometimes, the energy lost would be even greater than the energy needed to keep the clone present.
Thus, Chu Liang adopted Chu Yi's method. He kept his true form hidden within an enchanted formation, continuing his cultivation while rapidly replenishing his spiritual energy using Spiritual Qi Jade Talismans. This way, no matter how much energy his clone expended in the outside world, he would always have a steady supply to sustain it.
This was an expensive method that most seventh-realm cultivators couldn’t afford, but for Chu Liang, the money spent was like a drop in the ocean.
However, at this moment, his true form could no longer remain silent. Transforming into a gust of wind, he flew straight to Jade Sword Peak and urgently knocked on Wang Xuanling’s door. "Grand Peak Master!"
"Chu Liang?" Wang Xuanling opened the door, saw him, and immediately gestured for him to come in. "What’s the matter?"
Chu Liang looked at him gravely and said, "The time has come for you to act."