The cultivators wearing those strange clothes and equipped with bizarre weapons were completely different from the projections summoned from the Immortal Sect Armory.
They had no real combat technique at all, relying solely on the sharpness of their weapons to gain the upper hand in battle.
However, these cultivators possessed one peculiar trait.
They feared no death.
If one of their companions was slain, they did not grieve or feel pain. Instead, mocking laughter appeared on their faces.
Even when it was their own turn to die, they showed no fear—only faint regret and unwillingness.
Under the combined resistance of multiple forces, the offensive of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was finally held back.
There were even signs of the battlefront being pushed back.
At that moment, however, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance made a surprising decision.
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Instead, they withdrew decisively, retreating in an orderly manner while covering one another, just as when they came.
At that point, the image in the Tianxuan Mirror abruptly cut off.
The sudden contrast before and after immediately stirred dissatisfaction among the cultivators watching the live broadcast in front of the Tianxuan Mirror.
"That's it? They retreated after such a small setback?"
"There's still more fight left! Why retreat now?"
"So scared of dying? If you won't fight, I will! Let me on the battlefield!"
"Who gave the order to retreat? They should be killed for that!"
…
The crowd was riled up, but none of their outrage could change the decision made on the battlefield.
That same day, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance released another public statement.
It declared that the recent battles were a display of their strength and a minor warning to the Five Elders Association.
Their earlier offer still stood: if the Five Elders Association was willing to hand over the Immortal Alliance Relic, then everything could still be discussed.
If the Five Elders Association remained obstinate, then the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance might "pay them a visit" from time to time.
Whether it would be war or peace—would depend entirely on the Five Elders Association themselves.
It was, quite obviously, a naked threat.
In the past, the Five Elders Association would have dismissed such words with disdain, perhaps even responding with a matching proclamation filled with sharp mockery.
But times had changed.
This sudden strike from the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance had genuinely frightened them.
The other tactics used in battle could be overlooked.
But that massive Sky-Patrolling Arrow Net, unleashed in tandem with the Immortal Ancestor's Dharma Projection, had actually managed to affect all five Longevity Immortal Heavenly Sovereigns of the Association.
One must understand, unlike the Immortal Ancestor of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, who was almost a mythical figure to them—the Five Heavenly Sovereigns were real, living beings who ruled and governed the Five Elders Association.
They occasionally issued Heavenly Sovereign Edicts, and their authority was absolute among the cultivators of the Association.
So one can imagine the shock that struck their hearts when they saw that the Alliance's weaponry could harm beings revered as gods themselves.
In their panic, it was understandable that they were caught off guard by the Alliance's blitz and forced into retreat before regrouping for a counterattack.
Although they eventually rallied and repelled the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance for the moment, chaos still spread throughout the Five Elders Association.
For now, the authority of the Heavenly Sovereigns had not been fully restored, and disorder continued to fester.
Cultivators who had long lived under the unshakable order of the Heavenly Sovereign Laws suddenly found themselves exposed to the true realm of the Xuanhuang World, where no such divine rules applied.
The shock to them was immense.
For instance, cultivators from the Realm of Truth suddenly discovered that they were now capable of lying.
Once the cultivators tasted the benefits that lies could bring, falsehoods began to spread at a terrifying pace throughout the former Land of Truth.
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It was foreseeable that, until the power of the Heavenly Sovereign was restored, such chaos would never fade on its own.
The so-called rule of the strong prevails.
At present, the strength of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was already great enough to deliver a fatal blow to the Five Elders Association. Thus, the Five Elders had no choice but to yield.
What was even more crucial was that the Five Elders Association had no idea that all thirty-three Chosen Immortals capable of invoking the Immortal Ancestor's Dharma-Manifestation had already perished.
From their point of view, those Dharma-Manifestations were just like the Sky-Patrolling Arrows—powers that could be called upon again at any time.
Therefore, the threat posed by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was one they had to face.
Two days later, a delegation of more than ten cultivators from the Five Elders Association arrived at the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
In name, they came for friendly negotiations, but in truth, it was a humiliating plea for peace.
They even brought with them the so-called "Inherited Treasure of the Immortal Alliance."
The cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance laughed at them for quite some time.
The entire negotiation lasted seven days.
The public did not know the exact details of the agreement that was reached, but it was obvious that the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was quite satisfied with the price the Five Elders Association had paid.
No further talk was made of seeking justice.
After the Five Elders delegation left in disgrace, a large-scale ceremony of rewards and commendations began.
The black-robed cultivators did not mention much, only delivering long speeches to introduce the overall commander of the campaign against the Five Elders Association—
The Dharma-Transmitting Immortal, Jiang.
In the surprise attack, the Sky-Patrolling Arrows and the Immortal Ancestor Dharma-Manifestations that played crucial roles were all part of his strategic planning.
This was also the first time the Dharma-Transmitter appeared before the public of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
Li Fan gazed at the widely circulated image of that figure—a thin middle-aged man of plain appearance, with only the small tuft of a goat beard beneath his chin standing out.
"Strange. The always low-profile Dharma-Transmitter chose to reveal himself voluntarily." Li Fan frowned slightly, puzzled.
In all his previous cycles of reincarnation, this had never happened before.
Li Fan guessed that it might have something to do with Mo Rubin, who had possessed the Dharma-Transmitter young man.
There were power struggles even among the Dharma-Transmitters themselves.
Mo Rubin had attempted to control the Tianxuan Mirror through formation arts, perhaps stirring a sense of crisis in certain others.
Thus, by making great contributions in this campaign, he could secure his position.
Yet Li Fan still felt something was amiss.
The Sky-Patrolling Arrows and the plan involving the Immortal Chosen had been laid long in advance—it was clearly premeditated.
Mo Rubin's impersonation of a Dharma-Transmitter was only a recent event.
"Or perhaps…"
"Could it really be for that so-called 'Inherited Treasure of the Immortal Alliance'?"
Li Fan suddenly turned his focus to this "excuse" that every cultivator of the Alliance believed.
"If it is real, then what could it be that makes the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance go to such lengths?"
"It seems it is time for our Federation of All Worlds to act again."
With that thought, his clone Li Qing sensed the call, leaving the Spiritwood Realm once more and heading straight toward the territory of the Five Elders Association.
The Sky-Patrolling Arrows had been completely expended, and the secret formation channels marking the border defenses had been decoded by Li Fan using the Final Dissociation Disc.
Along the way, Li Qing encountered no trouble.
Having just achieved a major victory, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance had clearly grown lax in vigilance. Li Qing easily slipped past their patrols and infiltrated the Five Elders' Assosiation domain.
Several border provinces had been completely plundered by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. A sweep of divine sense revealed not a single living being left.
Employing secret methods of contact, Li Qing continued deeper toward the heartland of the Five Elders Association.
Only after crossing five prefecture did cultivators finally begin to appear.