Star Trace Gate

More than ten days have passed in a flash, and there is only one day left before the "Alliance of the Leaders of the Nineteen States" on the Jiuli Continent.

The old Marquis of Dongdeng Prefecture widely issued invitations to heroes, bringing a new bustle to the five cities of Xianlan. During this period, cultivators from the ancient dynasties and sects of the Nineteen States flocked to Chaolong City in an endless stream, numbering over two thousand. The city's citizens could witness the sight of swarms of immortals appearing in the sky, awe-inspiring phenomena, almost daily.

The rulers of the nineteen states gathered together and held a meeting in the five cities of Xianlan. This was an event second only to the founding of the emperor's palace. Naturally, it also aroused heated discussions among the Jiuli people. Various rumors, speculations, and hearsay also spread from the cultivators of the nineteen states, and became more and more bizarre.

Some people claimed that this alliance was jointly led by the descendants of the ancient emperor and Dongdeng Prefecture, and they invited heroes from the nineteen states. They wanted to use the power of the Heaven and Earth Sword Furnace of the Divine Forbidden Taoist and the opportunity of the collapse of the fifteen sects to form an alliance, implement new policies, and completely end the chaos of the Jiuli era, change the world, and restore peace to the world.

They want to do big things and good things.

However, many Jiuli people do not believe this statement and are dismissive of it.

During the endless years of chaos, generation after generation of immortals gained enlightenment and took turns to hold power in the world, but has this chaotic world ever changed in the slightest?

Not only that, but every time a new group of immortals attain enlightenment, there will only be two or three years of benevolent rule at most, and then... the harsh rule will become more severe, and there will be more heavy taxes, and this cycle will repeat without end.

The common people felt relieved when watching the battle where many immortals fell in the Emperor's Tomb. After the fifteen sects were annihilated, they also developed great respect for the Supreme God. They were even not so disgusted or xenophobic towards the descendants of the ancient emperor. They also secretly accepted his identity as the descendant of the ancient emperor and that he was also a new generation of outstanding people who could represent the supreme inheritance of the human race.

However, recognition is recognition, and respect is respect, but the people here who have been over-exploited find it difficult to trust human nature during the long dark years.

Many people think that this so-called alliance is nothing more than a "heavenly palace" gathering of new immortals rising up after the great immortals.

The Heavenly Palace is above the nine heavens and has nothing to do with the ordinary people in the world. In the past, the fish on the chopping board was just cut to look more beautiful and decent.

Although the fifteen peak sects have collapsed, the things that the nineteen ancient dynasties and sects invited by Dongdeng Prefecture have done are not much better than those fifteen mountains.

You let these people come to the alliance and discuss the future of Jiuli, but what the hell can they change?

What can be changed by relying solely on the fourth-rank descendant of the ancient emperor and the Supreme God who is rumored to be about to fall?

Therefore, the people of Jiuli did not hold much hope for this extremely grand alliance. Even many small sects without sixth-grade masters in charge continued to do what they had to do, just watching in secret and finding excuses not to participate in the alliance.

However, don’t say that this alliance did not bring any benefits to the people. It still invisibly affected many regions.

First of all, the people of Chaolong City were very happy because during this period of time, the 400,000 troops from the other four cities had quietly retreated; and the four major families in the four cities had also become completely honest. There were even rumors that... Ye Xuan, the lord of Dongming City, had not pooped for more than ten days.

It is said that he was completely uneasy and felt like he was sitting on pins and needles because he neither talked to them nor fought against them, but just ignored their policies.

The rumor that a fifth-rank expert couldn't poop was simply too absurd, but the people were willing to believe it, even spreading it with details, saying that City Lord Ye Xuan had to take at least eight Tongqi Smooth Pills a day and occasionally used divine magic to induce excretion...

In short, the danger of war in Chaolong City collapsed on its own under the trend of the Nineteen States Alliance; and in many areas of Jiuli, after the collapse of the Fifteen Sects, the actions of the heroes who wanted to divide the territory were restrained in an instant. They did not attack each other rashly, but watched and spied in secret, wanting to see what these new immortals could come up with.

The venue for this alliance meeting was at the "old site" of the Xianlan Sect's Wendao Palace. The location was chosen by the old marquis, and Ren Ye notified the Chaolong City government office to clean up the place.

This place was once reduced to ashes by a fire, and now many houses and palaces have become ruins. Therefore, it is definitely too late to rebuild the government office now. They can only clear out the rear hall of the Taoist palace, which is still well preserved and looks very magnificent, and send a full thousand servants to serve there.

Some people understood why the old marquis chose to hold the alliance here, but some people were dismissive.

For example, Zuo Yuan, the leader of Xuanpo Tower in Tianliu Prefecture.

This old monster who has lived for more than two hundred years is of the same generation as the old marquis. He has been at the sixth level for more than one hundred and seventy years since he entered the Dao with the magical method of the Yinming lineage. His talent and the age at which he entered the sixth level are both the absolute best among his peers, even earlier than Wuchen.

In the twelve eastern states of the Jiuli Continent, there is also a saying of "Eastern Marquis and Western Left", which shows that he can be regarded as a figure on par with the old marquis.

Zuo Yuan had entered the same secret realm six times, spending more than thirty years trying to find a way to advance to the divine forbidden realm, open the wheel of life, and extend his lifespan, but unfortunately... all six attempts ended in failure.

When the Emperor's Tomb was opened, he was on his sixth trip and did not catch up with the grand event. However, when Wu Chen was organizing the alliance of fifteen sects, he also sent an invitation to Xuanpo Tower, but Xuanpo Tower politely declined and did not participate.

Zuo Yuan's grandson obtained the blood guide of the Great Emperor and entered the Avenue of the Emperor's Tomb to compete. However, due to his young age and overly impatient temperament, he did not pass the test of Dongji Mountain and was eliminated at the gate of the Emperor's Tomb. He was a one-day tour type of genius.

But this does not mean that his grandson has average talent. On the contrary, his grandson Zuo Zhengdeng's talent in cultivation is definitely very dazzling among his peers, and he has also entered the fourth rank. It's just that his personality is a bit like his roots.

The Zuo family practices the way of the underworld, and deals with various high-quality ancient corpses, soul refining and soul summoning, as well as strange underworld objects all day long. Therefore, this family looks very gloomy, and is affected by evil objects all year round. They have a hot temper and look full of hostility.

Xianlan Sect, Asking Dao Palace.

Most of the powerful people who came to the alliance were guests who followed the host's wishes and, like the old marquis, lived in the cleared back hall of the Taoist palace.

But after arriving at Xuanpo Tower, they disdained the houses in the Taoist Palace and directly used a space-related magic weapon, hanging it above the Taoist Palace, opening a secret realm of immortal residence for their disciples to live in and inviting guests.

Inside the space magic weapon, there is the Yangshen Lake.

Zuo Yuan was dressed in black, with his jet-black hair loose, and was walking with his hands behind his back by the lake with seven sixth-rank clan leaders and kings.

In this alliance, a total of thirteen sixth-grade monsters came from the nineteen states, and all of them were old monsters with a lifespan of more than two hundred years. After the destruction of the fifteen sects, these people became the supreme combat force of Jiuli.

As mentioned before, Jiuli is very large, with a vast territory, numerous forces from all sides, and many hidden sects. Some of the 19 states invited by the old marquis may not have a sixth-grade sect leader or king in charge, but they all have a sixth-grade foundation.

For example, over the endless years, there are the Dao rhyme treasures accumulated after the death of the remaining sixth-grade masters.

Although these things cannot be compared with the living sixth-grade, they can provide a certain degree of self-protection in this chaotic world.

Therefore, the threshold for the old marquis to send out invitations is also very clear. One must have a force of at least the sixth rank to be able to participate in this alliance and discuss important matters.

Old Master Zuo obviously had a lot of face, and the seven sixth-rank sect masters who accompanied him, including the sect master of "Baoque Mountain" - Lin Bo, and the female sect master of Suxiao Palace, Li Qian, also cruised around the lake with him as the center.

"I feel this alliance was utterly hasty," said Lin Bo, the leader of Baoque Mountain, a man with white hair and cloth. "These fifteen sects have fallen, and the old marquis wants to use the power of this sword to restore order in the Nine Li... The vision is certainly good, but there are no charters for the alliance, no unity of purpose. He only has the title of Divine Forbidden Protector, and with a fourth-rank descendant of the Ancient Emperor, he expects all the heroes of the world to gather and bow their heads to approve the alliance. This...!"

"Fellow Daoist Lin, you are absolutely right." The leader of Qiwutian nodded slightly and continued, "The core of this alliance lies in the Heaven and Earth Sword Furnace within the Emperor's Tomb. The sword furnace is the reason so many heroes gathered together. But I heard... the one who was forbidden by the gods has already left Jiuli and his life span is coming to an end."

"Today, the sword furnace is still here, so everything is fine. But what if it's gone tomorrow?! With the old marquis's prestige alone, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the others."

"Does the Divine Guardian really have not much time left?" Li Qian, the leader of Suxiao Palace, asked softly.

"That's how it's spread." The leader of Qiwutian replied seriously.

"If that's the case, then the alliance is meaningless." A stern-faced old man, cane in hand, said, "The Divine Forbidden One protects the Ancient Emperor's son and offers him the Nine Li as a test. It's clear they want him to establish the Ancient Emperor's Way, put an end to the chaos, and govern with benevolence... Now that the Divine Forbidden One is in power, we are truly untouchable. I doubt I could even block his sword. So, while he's here, the world can remain silent. But if he's gone, why should my illustrious, thousand-year-old family, with a fourth-rank child, shatter everything that has been done before? And where are the new rules?"

"In a word, how can the interests of my thousand-year-old family be reflected in the alliance?"

The old man spoke with great force.

By the lake, Zuo Yuan listened to everyone's conversation, his thick eyebrows slightly raised. He replied in an extremely concise tone, "I can hear that you all have a lot of complaints, but you dare not say them out loud! You are afraid of the Heaven and Earth Sword Furnace, and you respect the reputation of the old marquis, but you can't let go of the bottles and jars you accumulated years ago, right?!"

He was too blunt and had no manners, using foul language and showing no respect.

Everyone looked at him with an awkward yet polite smile.

Zuo Yuan's face was gloomy. He raised a finger and said, "In a word! In the past, you were all immortal masters, and so was I... We lie on the immortal mountain and beckon with our fingers. From this world, the outstanding people, wealth, stars, and natural resources will be continuously delivered to the mountain by carriages driven by servants."

"Is this kind of life comfortable? Damn it, there's no need to ask, anyone who lives this way will feel comfortable."

"If you have a choice, then what's the point of this bullshit alliance? No matter how prestigious the old marquis is, he can't just grab meat from your plates, let alone tell everyone not to eat meat anymore."

"Now it's all good. With the sword of God's ban, the whole world is trembling with fear! If he says he wants to change, no one dares to disobey."

Zuo Yuan looked at Lin Bo who was holding the mountain and asked directly, "Bookworm Lin, just tell me, are you afraid of this sword?"

"Why should a cultivator fear a battle? Even though he is a divine forbidden element, he cannot destroy my Dao." Old man Lin Bai looked at the world with clear eyes, his demeanor was unparalleled.

"Ah."

Zuo Yuan immediately sneered, "Okay, okay, you're so noble, you're so great. But I can tell you clearly, I'm afraid, because I can't block that forbidden sword, and I don't want to die! It's precisely because I don't want to die that I'm here."

"Brother Zuo, your Xuanpo Tower has stood for 1,500 years, and you are as famous as the old marquis. How come you have lost the spirit of the Jiuli people now?" The leader of Qiwutian frowned.

"He was a man of integrity, but he was killed by a single sword strike! I didn't even have the chance to use his sixth-grade body to cultivate the 'Touching Dao Puppet'... It was too quick. He lived for over two hundred years, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone."